The Final Decision
If you haven't made a play bet yet, the river is your last chance. You must either fold (losing your ante and blind bets) or bet 1x your ante amount. This decision should be based on your final hand strength.
Important: If you already made a play bet (4x or 2x), you're committed to the showdown - no river decision needed.
Always Bet 1x on the River
Strong Hands
- • Any pair or better
- • Two pair, trips, straights, flushes
- • Even weak pairs (22, 33, etc.)
- • These hands have good equity vs dealer
High Cards
- • Ace high (any ace)
- • King high (any king)
- • These often beat dealer's weak holdings
- • Worth betting due to pot odds
When to Fold on the River
Fold These Hands
- • Queen high or lower with no pair
- • Jack high, Ten high, etc.
- • Busted draws that didn't improve
- • Hands unlikely to beat dealer's range
River Decision Examples
✅ BET 1X Examples
A♠ 5♦ on K♥ 8♣ 3♠ 7♦ 2♠Ace high - bet it
4♠ 4♦ on A♥ K♣ Q♠ J♦ T♠Pair of fours - bet it
K♠ 6♦ on Q♥ 9♣ 5♠ 8♦ 2♠King high - bet it
❌ FOLD Examples
Q♠ 5♦ on K♥ 8♣ 3♠ 7♦ 2♠Queen high - fold it
J♠ T♦ on A♥ K♣ 9♠ 8♦ 2♠Jack high - fold it
9♠ 8♦ on A♥ K♣ Q♠ 7♦ 2♠Nine high - fold it
Why These Guidelines Work
Mathematical Reasoning
- Pot Odds: You're getting 3:1 odds (risk 1x to win 3x in ante/blind/play), so you only need to win 25% of the time to break even.
- Dealer's Range: The dealer has random cards, so ace-high and king-high win often enough to be profitable bets.
- Hand Distribution: Even weak pairs beat most of the dealer's range, making them clear bets.
- Folding Threshold: Only the weakest high-card hands (Queen-high and below) should be folded.